This view shows enzymes only for those organisms listed below, in the list of taxa known to possess the
pathway.
If an enzyme name is shown in bold, there is experimental evidence for this enzymatic activity.

The detoxification of the highly toxic formaldehyde is a major biochemical necessity for most life forms. In the case of methylotrophic bacteria, formaldehyde is not just a toxic compound, but also a central intermediate. It has been suggested that the formaldehyde concentration in the cytoplasm of a methylotroph would rise to 100mM in less than 1 minute if formaldehyde consumption would stop [Vorholt00]. Several different pathways for Formaldehyde Oxidation are known in bacteria, encoded by unrelated or distantly related genes.